Narrative is the organization of a series of events that gives coherence and meaning. Humans naturally seek narrative structures to make sense of events, looking for a beginning, middle, and end. Media texts employ narrative to engage audiences without too much effort. Aristotle identified the basic linear plot structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end, where the middle may involve a crisis resolved at the end. Vladimir Propp examined fairy tales and identified 8 character types and 31 narrative functions that move the story along. Tzvetan Todorov developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium where the status quo is disrupted by an event but then restored at the end by heroes. Horror narratives follow this pattern, disrupting the status quo with a
The present research aims to study Mitchell (2004) Cloud Atlas from a narratological point of view for its generic hybridity which makes it a significant work of postmodern literature. David Stephen Mitchell (1969) is one of Britain’s foremost contemporary writers who won prominent literary prizes including 2004 and 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. This research analyzes the novel’s narrative style and particular conventions which lead to a certain genre to investigate the implications and their relation to reality. It tries to unsettle the following questions: Are there any significant elements of dystopian science fiction in the novel? If yes, what are the political, philosophical, and moral implications of such categorization? To answer the questions narratological approach particularly genre criticism is applied to the novel. After the "Introduction", in the "Discussion" section, key words are introduced and defined; the elements of dystopian science fiction are searched for in the novel; and the implications of those elements will be discussed. In the "Conclusions" the genre and its ontological significance will be touched upon. This article shows that Cloud Atlas is a science fiction as it depicts a future advanced in technology, economy, health, transportation, and communication. Also the dystopian attitude is dominant because the pictured world has failed to consider societal and ethical issues and for its capitalism, genetic manipulation, and ignorance of and towards human and humanity. The ontology of the story has its own kind of reality whose characteristics can be generalized to the real world out of the novel. The issues fictionalized in the novel have roots in the present time problems of the world. It is concluded that the novel tries to warn people and the ontological solutions given to these problems are considered to be useful in the reality. Mitchell’s dystopian world in "An Orison of Sonmi-451" is not the hopeless end of everything. He thinks that there is a chance to save the world by reading about other societies and creating a balance between nature and science.
The present research aims to study Mitchell (2004) Cloud Atlas from a narratological point of view for its generic hybridity which makes it a significant work of postmodern literature. David Stephen Mitchell (1969) is one of Britain’s foremost contemporary writers who won prominent literary prizes including 2004 and 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. This research analyzes the novel’s narrative style and particular conventions which lead to a certain genre to investigate the implications and their relation to reality. It tries to unsettle the following questions: Are there any significant elements of dystopian science fiction in the novel? If yes, what are the political, philosophical, and moral implications of such categorization? To answer the questions narratological approach particularly genre criticism is applied to the novel. After the "Introduction", in the "Discussion" section, key words are introduced and defined; the elements of dystopian science fiction are searched for in the novel; and the implications of those elements will be discussed. In the "Conclusions" the genre and its ontological significance will be touched upon. This article shows that Cloud Atlas is a science fiction as it depicts a future advanced in technology, economy, health, transportation, and communication. Also the dystopian attitude is dominant because the pictured world has failed to consider societal and ethical issues and for its capitalism, genetic manipulation, and ignorance of and towards human and humanity. The ontology of the story has its own kind of reality whose characteristics can be generalized to the real world out of the novel. The issues fictionalized in the novel have roots in the present time problems of the world. It is concluded that the novel tries to warn people and the ontological solutions given to these problems are considered to be useful in the reality. Mitchell’s dystopian world in "An Orison of Sonmi-451" is not the hopeless end of everything. He thinks that there is a chance to save the world by reading about other societies and creating a balance between nature and science.
1. What is narrative?
Narrative is the coherence or organisation given to a series of events. The human
mind needs narrative in order to make sense of events. In all aspects our of lives,
we seek a beginning, middle and an end to make connections of events.
Media texts are generally organised as audiences need to be able to engage with
him without requiring too much effort on their behalf in terms of understanding.
2. Narrative Structures
Aristotle identified the basic linear plot structure.
The linear structure suggests there is a
clear beginning, middle and end to a
narrative and that the middle section may
involve a crisis or disruption of an event
which will be resolved later at the end.
3. Narrative Theorists
Vladimir Propp (1895-1970) - He examined hundreds of fairy tales in the generic
form 'folk wonder tale'. He broke down the tales into the smallest units, which
he called narrative functions, necessary the for the narrative to exist. From his
research he identified 8 character types and 31 functions which move the story
along.
Although the main plot is driven by the actions of the protagonist (usually the
hero), the 31 narrative functions are spread between all the main characters.
Prop defined the character categories as: villian, the donor, the helper, the
dispatcher, the princess, the father, the hero and the false hero.
Tzvetan Todorov - developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium:
- Equilibrium - the 'status quo' where things are as they should be and
undisrupted.
- Disequilibrium - the 'status quo' is disrupted by an event
- Equilibrium/resolution - restored at the end of the story by the actions of the
heroes.
Claude Levi-Strauss – Narratives are structured by pairs of binary oppositions.
4. What narrative theories link to the genre horror?
From a perspective, Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibrium can be applied to the
genre of horror as the beginning of the film may see the ‘status quo’ as how they
should be, being introduced to the protagonist who may become to victim . A
disruption however, may occur, forcing the victim to perhaps transform into the
hero figure in order to solve the problem that is causing other characters to be
scared and afraid. The solving of the problem, (e.g. Destroying the monster) at the
end could be seen as the resolution of the narrative.
In addition, in his essay The Philosphy of Horror, Noel Carroll sets out the traditional
narrative structure of a horror film in three stages – similar to what Todorov
proposed:
oThe first he names as the ONSET PHASE where a disorder is created, generally in
the form of a monster.
oNext comes the DISCOVERY PHASE where the characters of the story discover that
the disorder has occurred.
oThe third phase known as the DISRUPTION PHASE where the characters destroy
the course of the disorder and restore normality.